Domestic, by Ashley C. Knowlton

Poetry, chapbook, 36 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

A couple of years back, at the New York State Summer Writers Institute, Ashley C. Knowlton had the opportunity to receive feedback on several pieces from American poet, Campbell McGrath. One of his comments that seemed to linger was his finding that her poetry was “domestic,” meaning it often focused on elements of the home, children, and immediate rural surroundings. This feedback inspired the title of this poetry collection, Domestic.

Among other things, Domestic invites readers to envision immense redwoods, the knotted knuckles of coastal trees, and the ancient beards of lichen that sway from their branches. Domestic invites readers to witness the protruding sea stacks that ogle the beach. Domestic invites readers to share the joy in poems motivated by her young children and endure poetry that processes a child that never was.  

Influenced by the ambitious vowel-centric “ballads” of Cathy Park Hong, Ashley offers a short collection of lipograms that stretch the possibilities of word choice while developing narratives that explore human experience. Overwhelmingly, Domestic aims to showcase poetry that echoes her small noticings as a mother, partner, and inhabitant of wooded land.

Ashley C. Knowlton teaches English and writes poetry and non fiction for enjoyment. Her work has been published in Pomona Valley Review, DASH, Abandoned Mine, Cobra Lily, Trajectory, Mom Egg Review Online Quarterly, Evening Street Review, Neologism Poetry Journal, The Waiting Room, and Lit Shark Magazine. Her work has also been featured on KQED Public Radio’s Perspectives podcast. She lives in rural northern California with her spouse, sons, and their many animals.